Highway 169

On February 10, 2016 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. the Minnesota Department of Transportation will be holding an open house at Hopkins High School to lay out plans for the year-long construction project. The project is estimated to begin in November and continue through the fall of 2017.

A short section of Highway 169 will be closed for one year between Bren Road and the exit to 5th Street/Lincoln Drive. The Nine Mile Creek Bridge will be closed and replaced. Additionally there will be lane closures on six miles of Highway 169 between the Crosstown and Highway 55. Below is a summary of what MnDOT will be doing during the year project:

Replacing
the bridge over Nine Mile Creek in Hopkins, Minnetonka and Edina

Reconstructing
more than six miles of pavement between Hwy 55 and just north of Hwy 62

Constructing
acceleration and deceleration lanes at Cedar Lake Road

Possibly
removing access to and from southbound Hwy. 169 at 16th Street in St.
Louis Park

Repairing
noise walls

Replacing
concrete barrier

Improving
pedestrian accessibility

Tips on biking in the winter

Every
season brings new joys and challenges to biking. Many people ride their bikes
through the winter, but you do need to be prepared. Here are a few tips that
can keep you moving comfortably through the winter:

Take
it slow on snow and ice.Studded tires provide extra grip in icy
conditions.

Use
lights, reflectors and reflective clothing to keep you visible in the dark
months.

Biking
generates a lot of body heat — wear layers. You should be a little chilly
as you start your ride. You’ll warm up within a few blocks and you’ll want
to avoid overheating.

Your
fingers, toes, nose and ears are most prone to getting cold. Wear gloves,
good non-cotton socks and a hat. If it’s really cold or you’re sensitive
to cold, consider a scarf, muffler, balaclava or ski goggles.

I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various
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Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.

Warm regards,

Jan Callison

Board meetings

January, 5, 2016

Board Organization

The County Board of Commissioners approved the 2016 board organization and committee assignments. I am honored to have been chosen by my colleagues to serve another year as Chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. I look forward to continuing my role as Chair and building on the great work we have done in 2015.

The oard also elected Commissioner Linda Higgins, District 2, to serve as vice chair of the board.

The County Board has 6 committees as part of its structure. The following committee chairs were selected:

Budget and Capital Investment: Commissioner Randy Johnson,
District 5

Public Works, Energy and Environment: Commissioner Mike Opat,
District 1

Health and Human Services: Commissioner Marion Greene, District
3

Public Safety and Judiciary: Commissioner Jeff Johnson, District
7

Libraries, Technology and General Government: Commissioner Peter
McLaughlin, District 4

Acting as the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority
(HCRRA), the board unanimously re-elected Commissioner Peter McLaughlin,
District 4, as chair.

Acting as the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA), the board appointed Commissioner Linda Higgins, District 2, as chair.

January 26, 2016

Legislative platform

The
Hennepin County Board approved its 2016 legislative platform. These are the
priorities the board and county administration will support during pre-session
committee meetings, and once the Legislature convenes in March.

Board briefings

In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board
often meets on Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are
informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are
made. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the
Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.

January 14, 2016

Vendor Compliance - workforce contracting goals

County staff provided an overview of three county
programs:1) small business enterprise,
2) equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, and 3) workforce
entry.It reviewed recent program
improvements and the 2016 work plan for each of these programs. Finally it also
shared information about the Disparity Study authorized by the State of
Minnesota.

January 28, 2016

Bonding - support the efforts of others

State law permits non-profits to apply for grants from the
State of Minnesota in certain circumstances, including when their request is
sponsored by a local unit of government. The County is increasingly being asked
by non-profits to sponsor these requests.The purpose of this briefing was to understand the implications of
agreeing to be a sponsor, particularly from the standpoint of staff workload as
well as legal responsibility.

2040 Comprehensive Plan

Staff is beginning to prepare for the submittal of the 2040
Comprehensive Plan to the Metropolitan Council in 2018.This briefing provided background on the Comprehensive Plan including
preliminary thoughts regarding its content, the process for creating it, public
input and commissioner involvement.

County calendar

February 18, 2016

Public Hearing: Tipping fees

The Hennepin County Board will hold a public hearing during a
meeting of the Public Works, Energy and Environment committee on Thursday,
February 18, 2016. Committee meetings begin at 1:30 p.m., in the Board Room,
Floor 24 of the Administration Tower, Government Center, 300 South Sixth
Street, Minneapolis. The purpose of the hearing is to receive comments about
the proposed gate rate tipping fee for municipal waste disposal at the Hennepin
Energy Recovery Center and the Brooklyn Park Transfer Station.

February 25, 2016

Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board Vacancies

The
Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is accepting applications for two
vacancies on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board. This board coordinates the management of water and related land
resources in the watershed that drains into Lake Minnetonka and Minnehaha
Creek. The cities of Excelsior, Greenwood, Long Lake, Minnetonka Beach,
Mound, Orono, St. Bonifacius, Spring Park, Tonka Bay and Wayzata lie entirely
within the district. Portions of Deephaven, Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins,
Independence, Maple Plain, Medina, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Minnetrista,
Plymouth, Richfield, St. Louis Park, Shorewood and Woodland are also in the district. Because
of the nature of the board, it is helpful for members to have a background in
water conservation, development, law, engineering, environment or public
administration.

The deadline for applications is February 25, 2016, with interviews to
be held at the following board committee meeting.

A watershed district board member may not be a public officer of
the county, state or federal government and must be a resident of the district.
Board members serve three-year terms. Meetings are held the fourth Thursday of
each month at 6:45 p.m. at the district office.

For more information about these vacancies or other advisory
board appointments, and to apply online, visit the Hennepin County website
at www.hennepin.us/advisoryboards.

March 2, 2016

Grand Opening: Central-Northeast Minneapolis Human Services Center

There will be a grand opening event on March 2, 2016 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Health Services Building 525 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, 6th floor lobby. The program begins at 6:00 p.m. and tours run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Parking is available in the Hennepin County Medical Center ramp. Enter on 6th or 7th Street. This location is also available by bus and light rail.

For more information on the event call Hennepin County Communications 612.348.3848.

For more information about our regional service centers, visit www.hennepin.us/hubs or call 612.348.3000.

March 5 and 6, 2016

Hennepin County Geo:Code 2.0 Open Data Code-a-thon

Geo:Code 2.0 is the second open data event held by Hennepin County. This is an opportunity for the county to expand upon the conversation about open data and public services it began with the community at the first Geo:Code last year.

A code-a-thon is an event where teams collaborate intensively on projects using government and other open data to explore policy issues, analyze and create data visualizations, websites, mobile applications and other technology solutions to improve access to public open data and enhance public services.

The event will be held March 5 and 6, 2016 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the University of Minnesota - Robert H. Bruininks Hall, Room 412 - 222 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

March 8, 2016

Public Hearing: Plymouth lake names

The board will hold a hearing on Tuesday, March 8, 2016,
at the meeting of the Libraries, Technology & General Government Committee,
at 1:30 p.m., in the Board Room, Floor 24 of the Administration Tower,
Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis. The purpose of the
meeting is to receive public comment on changing the names of three lake
basins, "Unnamed Wetland" to "Snyder Lake"; "Snyder
Lake" to "Kreatz Lake"; "Kreatz Lake" to "Unnamed
Wetland," all located in the City of Plymouth.